Jul 26 (FT) A unique National Conference on Peace, Harmony and Coexistence to be held on 30 July from 4 p.m. at the Nelum Pokuna Theatre, Colombo 7 will see a plethora of political VVIPs given its significance. President Maithripala Sirisena will be the Chief Guest at the event. It will be attended by leaders of all four major religions in Sri Lanka, intellectuals and scholars who have been involved in promoting peace and coexistence. more..

Jul 26 (Island) Senior Education Ministry officials had felt that the decision to include a colour photo of Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam and his signature in school textbooks from 2018 was not ethical, former education ministry secretary, Sunil Hettiarachchi told the PCoI. Minister asked Hettiarachchi and Secretary of the State Ministry of Education, Tissa Hewawithana about inserting his photo on text books in late 2017. more..

Jul 26 (Island) Former IGP and National Defence Advisor N.K. Illangakoon said that there had been a serious communication gap between intelligence arm and the law implementation leading to the eventuality of Easter Sunday carnage. Illangakoon, testifying before the PSC, said that now it seemed that there was ample information and intelligence about the terrorists who carried out Easter Sunday attacks and more..

Jul 26 (AD) SLPP has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with 10 political parties a short while ago, says Ada Derana reporter. These political parties were previously not politically aligned with the Joint Opposition thus far and are also not represented in the Parliament. The signing of the MoU took place at the official residence of Leader of Opposition Mahinda Rajapaksa at Wijerama Mawatha, Colombo. more..

Jul 26 (PMD) President Maithripala Sirisena says Sri Lanka is very keen to expand defence cooperation with Japan. He said this when Japanese State Minister of Defence, Kenji Harada called on him at the President’s Official Residence today. President said that as both countries are interested in maritime security, Japan and Sri Lanka should further increase cooperation between the two navies to ensure international maritime security more..

Jul 26 (RN) A collective of Muslim women activists representing different organizations, called for immediate reform of the Muslim Marriage Divorce Act (MMDA), which they said is an Act which causes grave injustices to Muslim women in Sri Lanka. Addressing a press conference today, Muslim women said that there have been efforts to reform the MMDA for 40 years and it recently came up for discussion after Muslim MPs agreed to more..

Jul 26 (CT) In an article published on Monday, quoting Planters’ Association of Ceylon (PAC), said that the potential benefit of oil palm plantations was to be unprecedented – possibly sparking the same kind of rural revitalisation for which the apparel industry once achieved, while providing much needed support to the country’s macroeconomic fundamentals. The global palm oil market’s value is projected to continue to expand from US$ 65.7 billion up to $ 92.8 billion by 2021. more..

Jul 26 (FT) Despite being a small island, the quantum and the value of property belonging to the State of Sri Lanka is immense. All State lands, the ocean surrounding the island, tanks and reservoirs, streams and rivers, abundance of natural beauty, ecological and environmental system, space, water and air, natural resources and all economic means that exist in it belong to the SL State. All this property of the State is acknowledged as common public assets belonging to the people of SL. more..

Jul 26 (AD) The Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences of the University of Ruhuna is set to reopen on the 29th of July, says the administration of the university. The academic activities of the final year of the Faculty of Management & Finance of the university will also resume from Monday (29). Meanwhile, the university administration said the date of recommencing academic activities of the first and third years of the Management Faculty would be announced soon. more..

Jul 26 (EN) Sri Lanka's entrepôt trading license does not permit recycling of waste, which is a specialized business requiring separate approvals under applicable environmental and other regulations, BOI said. So-called hub operations involving the import and re-export of goods with minor processing (entrepôt trade, sending to different countries cargo from one or more countries (multi-country consolidation) or warehousing, without paying import taxes, was permitted from 2013. more..

Jul 26 (EN) Sri Lanka's inflation in the 12-months to June 2019 fell to 3.8% from 5% in May, but the consumer price index continued to climb steadily as liquidity shortages ended. Colombo Consumer Price Index rose 0.9% in the 30 days in June to 130.2 points. In May the index climbed 1.6% after rising 0.3% in April. SL's currency collapsed in 2018 as the CB printed money to cut rates in April 2018 claiming inflation and growth was low, more..

Jul 26 (RN) Minister Mangala Samaraweera told Parliament today (26 July) that he wants all parties responsible for importing waste containers criminally charged. Responding to questions raised in Parliament, Samaraweera said that once investigations wrap up, Sri Lanka Customs expects to take legal action against those responsible, under the Customs Ordinance. “According to existing laws, we can impose a fine three times the value of the waste, but I think fining them is not enough. more..

Jul 26 (AD) The Court of Appeal has postponed until Aug 30 delivering its verdict on the revision petition filed by former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa seeking his acquittal from the charges in the Avant-Garde case filed by the Bribery Commission. The verdict of the court on the revision petition was scheduled to be delivered by the Appeal Court judge-bench comprising Justices Achala Wengappuli and Arjuna Obeysekara. However, the judge bench postponed the verdict to Aug 30 more..

Jul 26 (DM) While claiming that participating in constitutional reform under this govt was not a feasible option, Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa said they would put forward a set of proposals to reform the constitution at the forthcoming presidential elections. Speaking at the adjournment debate on introducing a new Constitution, he said this country could not move forward without clearing up the confusion more..

Jul 26 (RN) With the assistance of a loan provided by the Hungarian Govt, 200 railway crossings will be fitted with electric bells and lighting systems, Minister Arjuna Ranatunga said. Of the 1,337 railway crossings spread across the country, 185 are covered by the private sector. Railways Department has to protect 1,152 railway crossings out of which 608 are covered at present. 181 crossings are protected with barriers whereas 327 are protected with electric bells & lighting systems. more..

Jul 26 (Island) Society for Protecting Muthurajawela Sanctuary (SPMS) charged that the removal of the STF had allowed hundreds of dump trucks to enter most parts of sensitive reserve disturbing its peace and tranquility, aside from its outright rape. SPMS President Environmentalist Anil Jayamaha said that they would take up the removal of the STF with Prez Sirisena. "The withdrawal of the STF has paved the way for all types of nefarious activities and illegal construction once again," he said, more..

Jul 26 (RN) The Kurunegala Magistrate has issued a court order directing the Hiru and Derana TV channels to release unedited tapes of the MP Athureliye Rathana Thero allegedly making a threatening statement against a senior CID officer. Magistrate Sampath Hewawasam made the order on a request by the CID yesterday after Police applied for it. In a B report filed in court, the CID says that Rathana Thero had made more..

Jul 26 (FT) United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly Clément Nyaletsossi Voulé paid a courtesy call on Northern Province Governor Dr. Suren Raghavan on 24 July in Colombo. As the Governor of the Northern Province working together with the President Maithripala Sirisena and the Government, he briefed the UN Special Representative on initiatives regarding land, water, finance and justice to improve the lives of civilians living in the province. more..

Jul 26 (Island) Spokesman for the Catholic Church Rev Jude Chrishanta quoted Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith as criticising UN Special Rapporteur Clement Nyalettossi Voul, who was in Sri Lanaka last week and made it a point to visit north of the country to ascertain information about the alleged human rights violation but failed to inquire about the recent Easter Sunday Carnage which killed around 250 persons and injured some 500 others just in a day. more..

Jul 26 (Island) Two companies owned by former Minister Rishad Bathiudeen’s close family members had illegally acquired close to 3,000 acres of land in Mannar and collected over Rs. 100 million for roads that were never constructed between 2010 and 2014, MP Udaya Gammanpila told the PCoI. Gammanpila arrived at PCoI after Thiniyawala Palitha Thera, who had lodged a case against former minister, told the commission more..

Jul 26 (Island) Nethmini Ratnayake of St Joseph’s convent Kegalle won the Bronze Medal at 30th International Biology Olympiad 2019 in Hungary. The 2019 International Biology Olympiad was held in Szeged city from July 14-21 with the participation of students from 74 countries and territories. IBO 2019 Sri Lankan Team: Nethmini Ratnayake (St Joseph’s convent Kegalle), Vibath Abayawickrama (Royal College, Colombo), Mithun Samaranayake (Maliyadeva Boys College, Kurunegala) and more..

Jul 26 (AD) A foreign-manufactured firearm with a magazine containing two live ammunition rounds has been taken into police custody from a Defender that was searched at a police roadblock in Weeraketiya area. However, the Defender has fled the scene as soon as the police seized the firearm and search missions have been instigated to apprehend the escaped vehicle. The officers of the special deployment force unit of Tangalle Police had inspected the suspicious Defender at more..

Jul 26 (DM) Board of Investment (BOI) has instructed the Hayleys Free Zone Limited (HFZL) to re-export the remaining waste lying at the Hayleys Free Zone premises on or before August 12 2019. HFZL has processed and re-exported 29 containers - 25' x 20’ containers and 4' x 40’ containers while the remaining cargo is still lying at its premises. However, the company said the 130 container-loads of used mattresses more..

Jul 26 (AD) A person who had been sleeping at a small bus stop at Kalawewa Junction in Galewela has been brutally assaulted and murdered by another individual this morning. Police inquiries have uncovered that two persons had witnessed the inhumane murder which had taken place at around 2.30 a.m. today while it had also been recorded in a nearby CCTV camera. Police said that victim has been identified as a resident of Raththota, who had been engaged in labour work for various more..

Jul 26 (AD) Ministers Ranjith Madduma Bandara and P. Harrison took oaths once again today after their portfolios were amended. Ministry of Public Administration, Disaster Management and Rural Economic Affairs held by Minister Ranjith Madduma Bandara has been amended as Ministry of Public Administration, Disaster Management and Livestock Development. Similarly, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock Development, Irrigation, Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development P. Harrison more..

Jul 26 (AD) The Attorney General Dappula de Livera is currently giving evidence before the Parliamentary Select Committee inquiring into the Easter Sunday terror attacks. He arrived at the committee room in the Parliament Complex where the proceedings are being held at around 2.15 p.m. today. The Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy had also testified to before the select committee this morning. more..

Jul 26 (Island) Two Singapore marine surveyors are in the process of submitting a report on the state of the cargo vessel Sri Lanka Glory, which ran aground at Rumassala coast after breaking its anchor during stormy weather last Thursday. Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) Chairman Rear Admiral (Rtd) Rohana Perera told The Island that once the report was submitted its Indian owners would have to decide whether it could be repaired or be sold for scrap after refloating it. more..

Jul 26 (AD) A motorcyclist has been injured in a shooting at Apaladeniya Junction in Kuliyapitiya. A group of unidentified persons who arrived in a van had opened fire at the motorist at around 8.10 pm last night. The injured motorcyclist was later admitted to the Kuliyapitiya Hospital. He was identified as a 31-year-old named Saman Chandana alias Belek Saman, a resident at Gomugamuwa, Apaladeniya. Kuliyapitiya Police is probing the shooting further to identify the gunmen. more..

Jul 26 (AFP) A SL investigation into nearly 3,000 tonnes of illegally imported hazardous waste has shown that some of it was sent on to India and Dubai. Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera told parliament the importer of the waste had reshipped about 180 tonnes of raw garbage to India and Dubai in 2017 and 2018. SL's customs department found that a local company imported 241 containers from Britain, more..

Jul 27 (CT) This is not mere rhetoric. When I say that it is the youth, this is not mere cosy flattery. It is the truth. All compounded things are impermanent, and we all have to go, sometime and then the responsibility cast on the youth is bound to be heavy. So dear youths, we have messed things up, substituting some country’s industry for our laziness. Of course there is no Free Lunch, and in importing their goods or services, we import their inflation as well. more..

Jul 27 (CT) Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith delivered a political speech at the re-opening of Katuwapitiya St Sebastian’s Church in Negombo. Religious leaders can make political speeches, but the issue is, that certain sections of the society think that this is gospel truth. When many Buddhist Bhikkus they speak politics it is visible that they favour someone. The cardinal is careful. His approach soon after the Easter Sunday attacks eased communal tension. He appealed to more..

Jul 27 (Roar) One busy Wednesday afternoon, Nishreen Thaha, a 35-year-old housewife and entrepreneur, received a phone call from an insurance agent asking if she was interested in a tailor-made insurance programme. At first, she politely declined. “[But] he kept insisting I should buy it,” she said. Irritated, she asked him where he got her number from. In response, he hung up. Incidents like these are far from uncommon. more..

Jul 27 (FT) In the lead up to the Presidential Poll... several trends persuade me that, this time, something’s gotta give. Change is in the air; and it’s conflicting with custom, ritual and tradition. First, there’s the usual suspects: the arrogant assumption by the mainstream political parties that the electorate will rely on one or the other of their candidates. Second, there’s the hidebound horse-trading among aspirants to the purple; commingled with the sordid rumour-mongering about more..

Jul 27 (SO) It is said that almost all great Art comes from pain and there are ample examples in the world to prove this. World-renowned artists such as, Vincent Van Gogh, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Edvard Munch chose not to recoil in their unreceptive suffering in life but turned their sorrow into something that the world would cherish forever. Asymmetry by Pavithra Perera is one such artistic attempt you could experience if you stepped into the Lionel Wendt Art Gallery. more..

Jul 27 (TM) The EleFriendly Bus, an initiative in Wasgamuwa by the Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society is potentially facing discontinuation owing to the aftereffects of the Easter Sunday attacks, according to Society President Ravi Corea. Prior to popularisation, most rural villages stayed true the word in its purest form. Wasgamuwa was one such location, with the elephant corridor connecting ancient villages that have been more..

Jul 27 (CT) The tragic news of the veteran radio announcer, lyricist and dubbing artiste, Kusum Peiris having to answer the inevitable call in life, on the 21st July, at the age of 71, managed to bring tears to eyes of everyone who idolised her. She was a household name in SL for many years as a radio announcer; later blossomed as a dubbing artiste. Her golden voice did travel to homes, cars, vans, cafés, hotels and every nook and cranny on a daily basis in SL, from morning until evening, more..

Jul 27 (CT) Epic Ramayana describes Ravana as King of Sri Lanka during the Vedic period and the King has been even been portrayed as an ardent devotee of the premier Hindu God Siva. According to Hindu mythology, the hot water wells were the creation of King Ravana to perform the last rites of his mother Kanniya. The hot water wells were named after his mother Kanniya. However, geologists of modern era categorise the hot water wells of Kanniya as a rare geothermal more..

Jul 27 (Island) President Maithripala Sirisena’s decision to hang death-row drug lords triggered an avalanche of criticism. Among those who have been letting out howls of protest are politicians, human rights activists, diplomats, opinion makers and journalists. Some Colombo-based foreign envoys even overstepped their diplomatic limits to inveigh against Sirisena; European Union (EU) has issued a statement critical of the President’s decision to resume judicial hangings. more..